Jessica Maviano: Blue Skies and Freedom

Jessica is a Utah-based base jumper, skydiver, wingsuiter, and lover of life! Her passions in life take her across the United States and to different countries. Living an active life has always been deeply rooted in her soul. She went to college for Recreational Therapy, and grew up hiking and playing multiple sports. She believes the outdoors has something to offer and teach for every person. For her, life began when she learned how to fly. She can’t imagine her life any other way, and cherishes every moment she gets on this beautiful planet!

We are so inspired by your adventures; from skydiving to wingsuiting and BASE jumping, you are certainly living the life! How did you get involved in skydiving, and how has it positively changed your life?

I got into skydiving because my good friend Felicia Sturgeon started skydiving and shortly after she talked me into doing a tandem skydive. The rest is history! I quickly fell in love with it and it became my passion in life. Skydiving is a great metaphor for life, but the most important lesson it has taught me is to be grateful for every moment.

What has skydiving and aerial sports taught you about living life?

Live passionately, be grateful for every moment, do not be afraid to tell people how much you care for them, trust yourself, be unapologetically yourself if it lights your soul on fire, LISTEN, stay flexible and fluid, your dreams are worth it. This life is finite.

How did you become involved in wingsuiting, and how is it different from a typical skydive?

Shortly after I hit 200 skydives I decided I wanted to try wing-suiting. I had spent a lot of time free flying and flying the tunnel before wing suiting, and when I compare wing suiting to free flying wing suiting feel more freeing. The skydives last longer, and in new wing suits you can fly up. It feel like the closet thing to being a bird, for me.

What is it that keeps you coming back to the sport?

The culture. The family and friends. The fresh air on my face. The freedom, and clarity it gives me in every aspect of my life.

What are some of your goals with aerial sports, and how are you going to go about achieving them?

Enjoying the journey and everything it entails is the number one goal. Traveling the world and meeting jumpers around the world is something I love doing. The most important thing to me is having fun, progressing safely, and being a better athlete and person than I was the day before.

How did you become involved in BASE jumping, and what about it excites you the most?

Shortly, after I started skydiving I had my eyes on Base jumping. I was always so enthralled by it. I would follow my friends around when they went on base jumps and ground crew for them. When I had over 200 skydives I decided that I felt ready to make my first base jump. My friend, Hartman Rector, took me to the Perrine Bridge and helped me through my first dozen base jumps. When it comes to Base jumping everything about it excites me, but its always been about the flying. I love the freefall and I love flying my canopy in beautiful terrain.

What are some of your favorite spots for BASE?

Moab, Utah and Switzerland are some of my favorite locations, but I love it all.

What are some of your “bucket list” jumping or BASE destinations?

Norway
Dolomites, Italy
Greece
Hawaii
Skydive Deland
Skydive Voss
Skydive Chicago

Where do you live, and where are some of your favorite spots for adventure?

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I live 30 minutes from the ski resorts, 30 minutes from my local drop zone, 3.5 hours from Moab, 3 hours from the Perrine Bridge, and 35 minutes from rock climbing. Adventure is never far away where I live, and I love it all.

Who do you look up to? How do they inspire you in how you live your life?

My partner Tyler Burrows continuously inspires me to believe in myself, trust my abilities, and to pursue my dreams. Steph Davis is a a female athlete that I look up to because she always stays true to herself.

What are some of the best stories from your travels and adventures?

Oh, boy! This is a huge question. Anytime I’m with a group of base jumpers its memorable, but those stories probably are not safe for social media! One of my favorite funny memories was when I was in Italy base jumping. My friends and I had been jumping all day so we were smelly, dirty, and hadn’t showered for awhile. We went to a castle to have a fancy dinner wearing the same thing we had been for the past couple days. When we walked in there was clearly a suit/tie and gown dress code! Honestly, i’m surprised they sat us. We drank a few bottles of wine and laughed the night away while everyone glared at us during the meal. The food was fabulous!

We at This Adventure Life want our readers to live life fearlessly in the pursuit of living their ideal life. What would your advice be for someone who wants to live fearlessly and pursue their wildest dreams?

There has never been a better time than NOW. You decide when to flip the page, end the chapter, or to rewrite your path. You decide your happiness. This is your life, and its finite. Now is the time to do what you dream of.